State Teaching Licenses Drop Again

(Image Courtesy: Indiana Department of Education)

The Indiana Department of Education says the number of educator licenses has dipped for the second straight school year. Overall, the state says just over 3,800 people received licenses in 2014-2015, a more than 20 percent decrease from the previous year.

Last year, over 4,800 licenses were issued, compared to nearly 5,900 in 2012-2013. The IDOE says current levels are one-third lower than the 2009-2010 academic year.

The issue has stirred the attention of some of the state’s top officials. A Statehouse Summer Study Committee is focusing on the causes and potential remedies that can be addressed by the next General Assembly session. State Superintendent Glenda Ritz, who leads the DOE and chairs the Indiana State Board of Education co-chairs the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Excellent Educators with Purdue University College of Education Dean Maryann Santos de Barona. The group includes educators, legislators and school district executives and is designed to develop recruiting and retention strategies.